North Korea Remains the Last Major MiG-23 Operator: How Capable Are the Fighters and How Long Will They Serve For?

<p >Following the overthrow of the Syrian state on December 8, 2024, the speedy destruction of the remnants of the Syrian Air Drive ended a longstanding impediment to the pursuits of the Western Bloc within the Center East, whereas additionally eliminating the final main fleet of MiG-23 fighters on the earth. Syria was the primary international operator of the MiG-23, and obtained its first fighters in 1974, earlier than receiving probably the most succesful variant the fighter, the MiG-23ML/MLD, in late 1982. MiG-23MLs had been credited by Syrian sources that 12 months with taking pictures down three Israeli Air Drive F-15 fighters in engagements over Lebanon, and considerably bolstered the nation’s place within the air. After <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/syrian-defector-mig23-to-israel-performance" goal="_blank">learning</a> a MiG-23ML obtained by way of a defection later that decade, Israeli personnel made clear their respect for its excessive sophistication, and notably its early warning and countermeasures methods. The Israeli take a look at pilot who flew thee plane stated he was impressed by the fighter’s climb fee, and that after taking off with an F-15 and F-16 the MiG shot upward in a stiff climb “and left them standing.” The MiG-23ML/MLD would show able to going face to face with superior Soviet fourth era fighters throughout workout routines within the Eighties. It was the third fighter class on the earth after the F-14 and F-15 to combine a look-down/shoot-down radar, the Sapfir-23, offering a big benefit in situational consciousness over most competing fighter lessons. </p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/03/24/article_67e0c9c2a3f1d1_51146725.jpeg" title="Korean Folks`s Military Air Drive MiG-23ML Fighters Over Kim Il Sung Sq."></p><p >Following Syria’s procurement of the MiG-23ML/MLD and its demonstration of the category’ fight potential, North Korea would two years later start to amass the plane. The nation had been among the many first to amass the MiG-15, MIG-17 and MiG-21, however had not obtained extra succesful fighters for the reason that Nineteen Sixties resulting from a deterioration of relations with the Soviet Union. A warming of relations with Moscow, and issues in Pyongyang that its fleet was tremendously outmatched by the F-15s and F-16s deployed by the U.S. Air Drive within the area, led the nation to position orders for the MiG-23ML, with the primary eight of the plane delivered in September 1984 alongside two MiG-23UB trainers. A complete estimated 48 MiG-23ML and 12 MiG-23UB fighters had been delivered to the nation, and had been divided between the 56th Fighter Regiment at Toksan and the 57th Fighter Regiment at Onchon. North Korea was by some estimates the final consumer for newly produced MiG-23 fighters, with manufacturing of the category ending in 1985. Not like Syria, nonetheless, which continued to acquire second hand MiG-23ML/MLD fighters into the mid-2000s to construct up a complete MIG-23 fleet of near 200 plane, North Korea would limit the fighters to 2 models, and confirmed extra curiosity within the MiG-29 which it will produce below license within the Nineties. </p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/03/24/article_67e0ca7b5c10d9_19683564.jpeg" title="Korean Folks`s Military MiG-23ML Pilot Boards Fighter"></p><p >Following the collapse of the Syrian state, North Korea stays the one main operator of the MiG-23, with small fleets in Angola and Ethiopia anticipated to be phased out within the close to future, leaving solely a small variety of plane in Cuba operational. Whereas the MiG-23ML/MLD was considerably extra succesful than South Korea’s F-16s when procured, with a extra highly effective sensor suite and a past visible vary concentrating on functionality, the plane are right now thought of successfully out of date. South Korean F-16s introduced as much as the F-16V customary with phased array radars and AIM-120C and AIM-9X missiles right now retain overwhelming benefits in any respect ranges. There was some hypothesis that the North Korean MiG-23s will profit from modernisation of their avionics domestically with some abroad help, which might enable them to combine the superior<a href="https://www.38north.org/2022/10/air-to-air-missiles-could-be-the-north-korean-defense-sectors-next-breakthrough-why-it-matters/" goal="_blank"> new air-to-air missiles</a> which have been developed within the nation. Another choice is that the fighters may very well be phased out of service or relegated to decrease tier models as North Korea begins to acquire extra superior fighters from Russia. The Korean Folks’s Military Air Drive is <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russia-realistically-ship-hundreds-mig29-nkorea" goal="_blank">anticipated to obtain </a>important numbers of modernised MiG-29s, with the nation additionally alleged to be <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/expert-russia-nkorea-joint-fighter-units" goal="_blank">planning to acquire</a> Su-57 fifth era fighters after North Korean officers <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/future-of-north-korean-aviation-in-russia-kim-jong-un-tours-plants-producing-su-35-and-su-57-fighters-and-sukhoi-airliners" goal="_blank">inspected</a> the plane in Russia in September 2023. Though the MiG-23ML offered a complicated functionality for its time, North Korea’s rising alternatives to area extra succesful fighters is more likely to deliver an finish to prolific third era plane’s time in service. </p>



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